Building Bridges: Politics and Religion in a First Nations Community
2000; University of Toronto Press; Volume: 81; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.3138/chr.81.1.67
ISSN1710-1093
Autores Tópico(s)Political theory and Gramsci
ResumoThe Tsimshian of the Northwest Coast were a successful trading people who benefited materially from the maritime fur trade and the establishment of the Hudson’s Bay Company post at Fort Simpson, British Columbia, In the early nineteenth century, authority among the outward looking, but status conscious, Tsimshian was established through warfare, trade, and customary practice. By the latter part of the century, communal politics was increasingly influenced by both Christian and non-Christian religious affiliations. This article considers the politics of religion among the Tsimshian at Fort Simpson as reflected in the diaries of a Tsimshian man, Arthur Wellington Clah, and a missionary, William Duncan, as well as other contemporary sources. It is argued that the Tsimshian at Forst Simpson did not regard Christianity as an alien ideology imposed on them, but used this new source of authority and supernatural power in the factional politics of the community. Christian teaching and a missionary presence could be both a unifying and divisive force; and giving up ‘old ways’ did not mean giving up being Tsimshian, but rather established a new reference point to give meaning to life and maintain communal cohesion in a period of rapid change.
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